Friday, January 02, 2015

I heard a song yesterday by Guy Lombardo called "Enjoy Yourself" and I wondered if I really enjoyed 2014? Was I grateful for the time we had? I did a retake of the year.

I enjoyed our public high school experience with Ross as a freshmen and cheering as he swam for the high school.

I enjoyed serving at our second Luke 14 event. Two days of joy serving the special need children and adults in our community and their families. What a blessing they are to us when the goal is to be a blessing to them.

I enjoyed getting great reports from Jett's heart doctor.

I enjoyed getting to show the Sidewalk Prophets the bench made in honor of Nate and Noah at their school.

I enjoyed being blessed with a trip to the KLove Fan Awards from new friends that have become like family.

I enjoyed our new pool.

I enjoyed the month of July. Although the days are hard, it was still enjoyed.

I enjoyed Matthew West and fireworks with friends and family.

I enjoyed an unexpected visit from family for a night of swimming and art.

So did I enjoy myself this year? My answer would be yes. God has blessed me and I am so grateful. I have family that loves me. I have friends that bless me. I have time to spare. I have hearts to love. I have hands to serve. I have wisdom to share. I am blessed. And I enjoyed myself. On this journey called life.

Tuesday, October 14, 2014

Today I have the honor of being featured on my dear friend Meghan's blog for her 31 Days. Come check her out, you will love her words, fashion and her home business!

{Overcome} This spring we put in a pool. I called it our lake replacement. I spent the summer watching my children dive,
flip, entertain friends, and just be kids.
To most this would be normal. No
reason to be in awe. But my kids are OVER-COMERS.

To over-come
is to “conquer a problem: to struggle successfully against difficulty or
disadvantage.” My kids have struggled successfully. They have been given the hardest difficulty and overcame it. And I am
awed.

You see, my kids watched their brother die in the lake. They were both in the water experiencing the same pain and horror he was. Electric Shock in water is not something you ever forget the feeling of if you survive. And yet they have both gone back in the lake and the pool. Why? Because they are over-comers. Through help and encouragement they struggled successfully. Does that mean they don't have moments of doubt when they put their foot in the water? No, it just means they can trust God to give them the ability to take the second and third step.

The past week while on vacation, Kenzie was afraid of the
ocean. Her fear was preventing her from
having fun.` Ross came over, picked her
up and carried her out into the water.
Once he put her down, she became an over-comer. She loved it.
Ross helped her struggle successfully. He amazed me.

Sometimes being an over-comer is not our choice but someone
forces our hand. Someone picks us up and
deposits us right where we didn’t want to be; only to find out we did want to
be there. We struggled, but we were successful. And we were grateful.And sometimes no matter how much we have overcome something we may relapse. For me and my kids, every time information on electric shock drowning comes on TV, we can relapse. Why? Because we have experienced it. We have felt the current running through our body. For us it is a constant battle to overcome.

It takes everything I have to wake up grateful. To overcome the sadness and the grief. To be an over-comer is hard and sometimes just not possible. But everyday, I look at my kids and I am reminded. If they can over-come their experience, then so can I. And that is when I close my eyes and ask God to remind me of His promises. And He always does.

Monday, September 29, 2014

Last year I participated in The Nesters 31 day challenge. I managed half the month before life overtook me. I am trying again.

This year I am celebrating 31 days of home. 31 things I love about my home, my home's town, my home's church, my home's school and other home loves. I'm going to celebrate the good, the bad and how each have shaped the person I've become. So come celebrate with me. I promise I will do my best to complete the challenge.

Tuesday, May 06, 2014

A few weeks ago I was with a group of teenagers and the phrase "it's all relative" was said. One of them asked what that really meant. So we proceeded to give examples of when you'd use it. Like the weather was warm (at 65 and breezy) was all relative compared to the ten degree weather we had been having. So the remainder of the weekend we kept using the phrase to prove our points.

Today I was reminded of that phrase. I was whining. It was something relatively small but extremely hurtful. Something inflicted by a selfish person.

Then I went on Instagram and saw that a blogger had lost their three-year-old this weekend when he ran out into the street to get his Frisbee. He had lost his little life in an instant. And I knew that pain. The pain that mother was feeling at that exact moment. It was a feeling that I could relate to. I knew that tomorrow morning when she woke up she would spend exactly three seconds thinking it was a bad dream and then in the fourth second she would remember it wasn't and she'd wish she could go back a second. I knew she would do that for months.

And I was whining about a selfish person and how I was hurt.

This morning I was reading in Matthew, when Jesus was beginning the Sermon on the Mount. He started listing challenges in people's lives and the gift they would receive if they walked through it. Some would be grieving a child and it would be horrible but He would comfort. Some would be hungry and it would be horrible but He would fill them. Some would be persecuted and it would be horrible but He would reward them in heaven. It was all relative. No matter how lame it was to another's problem. Because to each person their pain is different. And each was hurting.

So as I pray for this family, I am also giving my hurt to the Lord. Because He is our healer and wants to hear all of our hurts not just the ones that seem more important. Because after all, it is all relative.

Tuesday, October 08, 2013

Social Media. Websitesandotheronlinemeansofcommunicationthatareusedbylargegroupsofpeopletoshareinformationandtodevelopsocialcontacts.

Facebook. Instagram. Twitter. Pinterest. All means of today's communication. Positive and negative. Think for a moment about how you approach the culture around you.

Do you miss the beauty of the real world because of media? Or do you utilize the current culture for God's glory.

Leonardo da Vinci said, "Blinding ignorance does mislead us. O! Wretched mortals, open your eyes." I pray we keep our eyes fixed on him and not in our media. I am grateful for social media. But I am guarded for His glory. Grateful.